After Israel’s brutal war on Gaza and the large-scale destruction it left in its wake, reconstruction remains stalled despite renewed diplomatic efforts and fresh proposals. International actors speak of plans, funding and logistics, but little has changed on the ground.
Over two million Palestinians remain displaced, infrastructure lies in ruins and thousands of wounded people continue to face severe restrictions on movement and medical treatment.
A renewed push to advance Gaza’s peace plan has brought cautious optimism, with mediators pointing to serious discussions and possible breakthroughs within weeks. US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative’s envoy Nickolay Mladenov has said progress is possible, but warned momentum could quickly fade without an urgent agreement. The Board of Peace is a US-backed body formally launched in January 2026 to oversee a Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction plan.
While reconstruction proposals and aid mechanisms are being discussed, the reality on the ground remains largely unchanged.
Where’s the committee?
One of the central pillars of the peace plan, announced by Trump in September 2025, was the formation of a National Committee to administer Gaza. The committee includes technocrats and experts to oversee governance and reconstruction. The members of the committee are currently in Cairo holding talks with mediators and regional stakeholders.
Israeli restrictions have blocked access of the Palestinian committee to enter war-torn Gaza, preventing it from operating effectively. The absence of a recognised governing structure has created a vacuum, slowing coordination on aid delivery, delaying infrastructure projects and complicating decisions on future governance.
Officials say the lack of a unified authority is hindering efforts to manage funds, oversee rebuilding and ensure accountability.
What’s happening in Cairo?
The ongoing talks in Cairo are deeply complex, reflecting the core political challenges of the peace plan. Discussions centre on Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal timelines and the future governance of Gaza. While mediators say there have been “serious discussions,” progress remains slow due to competing demands.
Disarmament of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas remains a key sticking point, while questions over who governs Gaza and how remain unresolved. The group said discussing the group's disarmament before Israel fully implements the first phase of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire was an attempt to continue what it called a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Negotiators are trying to finalise an implementation plan that would cover aid access, control lines on the ground and longer-term political arrangements. There are also efforts to increase humanitarian flows through crossings like Rafah and to boost the number of aid trucks entering Gaza.
Envoys acknowledge that trust-building and incremental steps are still needed before any comprehensive agreement can be reached.
Is Israel once again undermining peace efforts?
Israeli violations on the ground complicate peace efforts as the Israeli army has expanded areas under its control inside Gaza, shifting what negotiators describe as a “yellow line” deeper into the territory.
These moves have raised questions about whether conditions for a full withdrawal, a core element of the peace plan, are being met. At the same time, restrictions on aid and movement continue to limit humanitarian access, further straining trust between parties and undermining confidence in the process.
Just on Tuesday morning, an Israeli strike killed three Palestinians in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Despite an October 10 ceasefire, Gaza remains gripped by daily violence by the Israeli military.
Earlier, the Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz insisted that Israel will not move “one millimetre” from the “Yellow Line” in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed.
The plan is structured in phases where after a halt in attacks, it envisages expanded aid access, gradual reopening of crossings and improved medical access. However, continued Israeli attacks and restrictions on crossings and aid have limited these steps, which are seen as key preconditions that must be met before any move towards Hamas disarmament.
Ongoing Israeli violations and uncertainty over security arrangements make it difficult to establish the stable conditions needed for negotiations to succeed. Without a clear and consistent commitment to de-escalation, each new development risks pushing talks further off track and prolonging the crisis.
What about reconstruction?
Reconstruction remains one of the most urgent yet uncertain aspects of the plan. With an estimated $71 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, proposals are being explored to manage logistics, aid flows and infrastructure projects.
Discussions have included partnerships with global companies to oversee supply chains and potentially develop new ports and trade zones. However, these ideas remain largely at the planning stage.
Without agreement on security, governance and access, large-scale rebuilding cannot begin, leaving Gaza’s population waiting as diplomatic efforts struggle to translate into real change.
For now, Gaza’s peace plan remains caught between ambition and reality. While talks continue and proposals evolve, the key test will be whether political agreements can be reached quickly enough to prevent momentum from fading and whether they can finally deliver tangible results for Palestinians on the ground.
